Fate
by Bambi Bamboozled
Summary: During Clark's travels he meets a woman who is just as lost as he is. Continues into Man of Steel
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just a small Idea I had for a fic. may or may not continue, let me know ^^ Begins during MOS.**

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Fate is a funny thing. Most people view it as a positive force, and some people view it objectively. However you see it though, not many people deny that it exists, that things happen for a reason, and just sometimes, things fall apart, so that others may fall together.

The first time she saw him was at some small bar in some small town in Central America. Jemma had found it difficult to not stare at the extremely attractive man as he waited on the surrounding tables and wondered idly how he, like her, had wound up here and what his story was. Because no body comes to this town, not on purpose anyway, you could see it on any one of the patrons of the bar's faces; that they had not meant to stay. This was the type of town one ended up in. Rock bottom. She remembered that he had looked at her from the bar briefly. But she didn't stick around. She was gone the next morning, moving on to the next job, not thinking twice about the man with insanely blue eyes. It was six months later when she saw him again. She'd found some work on the docks, doing the ships numbers and payroll, going about her daily business when the bell on the door notified her of someone's entrance and she found herself looking into familiar blue eyes. If he recognized her, he didn't show it, and so Jemma agreed to add him to their workers list and assigned him a ship. He was gone for weeks after that and by the time he had returned from his first voyage, she had gone.

A whole year had passed and Jemma had found herself sitting in the tray of an old pickup truck, shivering from the cold, but grateful for the lift. She was just glad she didn't have to hitchhike. They drove carefully down the snow and ice covered highways, flanked on either side by tall pine trees and mountainous terrain. The old pickup truck rumbled along the road and she squinted her eyes and turned around as the truck began to slow and she frowned at an approaching figure in the distance. He was tall, that much she could tell and he lazily held out his thumb as he heard the car approaching. Jemma shook her head as the farmer brought the truck car over to the side of the road, coming to a stop a couple meters ahead of the man. They waited for him to catch up and let out a slight noise of surprise when she saw his face. The thin stubble that had covered his face in their previous encounters had grown into a rather prominent beard, but his eyes were the same and this time the man did seem to recognize her, offering her a raised eyebrow. She smiled as he walked past the bed of the truck and held a minute conversation with the driver. Apparently he had grown up hitchhiking and wouldn't leave anyone to wonder the roads alone if he could help it. A moment later, the blue eyed man was setting his bag in the truck and climbed in up into the bed, taking a seat across from her as the farmer began to drive again. For the first few minutes they sat in silence, Jemma playing with her hands in her lap, the wind whipping past her ears until the man spoke. "I've seen you around before. What's your name?" He asked, his voice a deep baritone that made Jemma want to shake her head. Of course the extremely attractive man with vibrant blue eyes and what she thought she could see of a killer body, had the deepest, mostly manly voice she'd ever heard. She suppressed rolling her eyes. It was like he was straight out of a shitty romance novel.

"Jemma. I've seen you around too… Did some work for that shipment company a year back, right? " She said, and held out her hand, which he took gingerly, holding it like it was his mothers fine china. He nodded lightly and let go, falling gently back against the truck. "I'm Clark." He told her and the two exchanged pleasantries before falling back into a comfortable silence for what felt to Jemma like hours. Finally curiosity got the best of her and she opened her mouth to speak again.

"So where're you going?" She asked, her southern accent becoming more and more prominent with every word she spoke. Clark suppressed a smile, her accent and the way she phrased things reminding him a little of his mother. He could tell that her words were laden with more meaning than she let on and of course he couldn't tell her the truth.

"To the next town. Looking for… work. What about you?" Clark said with pause, careful of his words. Jemma nodded making a noise of agreement. "Same, well, sort of. I'm looking for my sister." She said softly, and despite the wind, the young woman was surprised he had heard her. "She went missing?" He asked and Jemma nodded.

"About two and a half years ago. She was only sixteen. At first we thought she was with her boyfriend, but he hadn't seen her. We filed for missing persons and that's when we heard reports of people sighting her a couple of states away. My mother got really sick after that. Her dying wish was for me to bring her home. So… here I am." She finished with a flourish of her hands, before bringing them back together in her lap, fiddling in a nervous manner. Clark frowned at the story feeling sorry for the young woman in front of him. She couldn't be more than 25, maybe 27 at the most, but her eyes already held a weariness that he'd seen in many elderly people.

"I don't even know why I'm telling you this. Sorry." She said with a bitter laugh as the car began to drive into a town's limits. Clark assured her it was no problem but other than that, the two stayed silent until the farmer pulled into a parking lot at a local pub, getting out and telling them this was the furthest he was going this week. Jemma and Clark both thanked the man, Clark stepping down from the truck bed with ease and turning to face Jemma as she struggled with her two bags, extending his hand but holding onto her waist when she placed both hands on his shoulders and sort of half jumped, half was lifted down to the ground. She repressed a laugh at the ridiculousness of being handled like a child but with her thick layers and light luggage it would have been awkward getting down anyway. The travelers parted ways then, bidding each other goodbye and good luck, only seeing each other rarely around town for the next two or three weeks until Jemma heard about a girl matching her sisters description had been through the town just two hours away and she left with the next trucker who'd give her a lift. After that Jemma thought it must have been at least another eight months before she met Clark again, this time however, would seal their fates together and from that point on their lives would forever be entwined.

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**A/N: Soo let me know what you think... May or may not continue, shoot a review if you have any thoughts and opinions ^^ xx R&R**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Another chapter! By demand! :)**

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Clark Kent readied himself as he walked through the pub doors. This one was much less quiet than the previous town he'd been in, much like everyone decided to come here tonight, although he could see clearly there were a lot more young people in this town than any he'd previously stayed in. Making his way to an empty table, the man sat down and waited for the attendant to take is order. It had been a rough few days. Between the last town and this one, there hadn't been anyone willing to give him a lift and so Clark was forced to walk the whole way, not that that was a problem for him, but he hadn't packed any food so the man was considerably hungry. Looking up as a waitress approached his table, Clark was only mildly surprised to find he was staring into the familiar face of Jemma. "Hi Hon what can I get yo-" Jemma stopped mid sentence when she looked up from her little pad and noticed who she had been talking to.

"Clark!" She said with a smile. "I should've known I'd be seeing you again." Jemma sighed. Clark smiled genuinely at her, but couldn't help but notice she looked at least ten, no, seven kilos thinner than she had eight months ago, he shook the thought.

"It's good to see you again. Any news on your sister?" He asked and Jemma lowered her head a little, her smile falling from her face. "They found a body of a young girl about six months back. I went to the station just in case. I identified her as Amber…" Jemma trailed off, willing her tears away. She had always been prepared for the fact she may never find her sister, but she hadn't been prepared to look at her lifeless body in a morgue in some town she'd never heard of, beaten and bruised and possibly sexually assaulted.

She shook her head and straightened when she got a 'get back to work' look from her boss. Clark frowned and reached a hand out to try and convey some sort of comfort, but he stopper, placing his hand back on the table.

"Anyway, my boss will have my ass if I don't ask, so; what I can actually get you?' She laughed a little and Clark smiled again, telling her quickly what he wanted, not wishing for her to get into trouble. With a small smile, Jemma took off back to the kitchen, pushing all thoughts of how much she wanted to hold his hand just then from her mind. Sure the guy was hot, and totally built and really kind, but she barely knew him and like her, people don't just go traveling America for no reason at all. He had baggage. Or he really hated staying in one spot for too long, who knew.

Clark watched as Jemma emerged from the kitchen a couple minutes later, collecting a tray of drinks from the bar and buzzing around the pub, delivering orders and smiling at customers. He could see the smile didn't quite reach her eyes though and he wished he could have said something to comfort her, although he knew from experience it took more than mere comfort to take away the pain of losing a loved one. Fifteen minutes later, a different waitress delivered his meal, which disappointed him a little but he squashed the feeling down in favor of eating his food. Only a few minutes passed before he heard footsteps approaching him again, and looked up as Jemma pulled out the seat opposite him, sitting down and folding her arms across the table, a small smile on her face.

"I'm done for the night, you don't mind if I sit here?" She drawled and Clark smiled, shaking his head. "Go right ahead." He told her with a nod, pushing his plate of chips towards her in offering. Jemma shook her head, holding her hands up in protest.

"Oh no, really I'm ok!" She began, and laughed a little when he stomach growled and Clark raised an eyebrow at her. She wanted to frown, wondering how he even heard that over the noise of the bar, but instead she pushed it back towards him a little.

"Honestly, when you work here, you never want to eat the food again. I'll eat at the motel, its all good."

Clark relented and picked a chip off the plate, making a show of taking a bite out of it. Jemma rolled her eyes and leant across the table, giving him a soft shove to the arm. Clark laughed and allowed himself to be moved slightly by her blow and the two dissolved into relative silence, commenting on the music every now and then but staying silent other wise, just enjoying each other company. Clark didn't know the girl well, but he found that her presence was rather calming; he liked the fact that she didn't feel the need to fill the silence. Taking another look at her while her own eyes drifted around the noisy bar, Clark could see now that she had _definitely_ lost weight since their last meeting, her usually round face was rather gaunt now, and she had bags under her eyes. The remainder of old makeup darkened large eyes framed by thick eyelashes and her curly hair was tied up in tangles atop her head. Even her hands looked too thin to him he noticed as she fiddled with them on the table top and he could clearly see that her clothes hung loosely on her frame.

"You have a place to stay yet? Or did you just arrive?" She suddenly asked, fixing her gaze on him and drawing him from his thoughts.

"No, you said you were staying in a motel?" Jemma nodded. "I'll probably rent a room there then." He said more to himself than to the young woman in his company, wondering how much money he had left to work with, but calling for the check anyway, a passing waitress blushing when he flashed her his best smile. Jemma caught the look and internally bristled, though she wasn't entirely sure why. Sure he was extremely attractive, and kind, but it wasn't as if they knew each other all that well, and she had no reason to become jealous over a _smile_ for god sake. For all she knew he could have a girlfriend, though she highly doubted it as he seemed to be constantly traveling and she had never seen him in the company of anyone before. Jemma quickly swatted those thoughts away as she remembered something important.

"The motel owners close their doors at 8pm, they won't rent out anymore rooms until 8am." She told him with a frown and Clark looked towards the clock on the wall, even though he knew it was well past eight now. Jemma considered her options for a moment, always one to jump at the chance to help another she briefly reflected on the fact that she _really _didn't know the guy, before telling herself _"Screw it"._

"If you'd like you can stay in my room tonight?" She offered before quickly back tracking at Clark's raised eyebrow. "I mean to sleep, I'm not soliciting you for sex. Not that I wouldn't I mean you're really hot, but I'm not…" She continued to dig herself into a hole and she wondered just how high his damn eyebrow could go.

"I'm going to shut up now. But the offer still stands." She said, lowering her head in embarrassment. _"That could have gone entirely different… me and my stupid mouth."_ She thought mentally slapping herself a few times. Clark smiled at her, a laugh escaping him and he found himself thinking it was the first time he'd really laughed in a long time. This time when he reached his hand out it found hers, and he covered her tiny, fiddling hand with his own massive one.

"If you don't mind, I'll take you up on that offer."

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**A/N: Special Thanks To:**

_**ArandoraStar**_

_**Qoheleth**_

**Thanks for your reviews!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

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Jemma looked back towards Clark as she gently swung open the door of the motel room she had been renting the past four months. "Tada! It's not much, but for now it's home." She told him with a smile, watching as his eyes quickly took in the room in front of him. It wasn't completely horrible for a cheap motel, She thought. It was clean for one thing, and bug free, the worst part about it was the terrible retro décor that Jemma wasn't entirely sure was _ever_ in fashion. "Make yourself right at home, Clark." She said walking through the doorway. The very first room was the largest and had a double bed and small living space with a bathroom in a room of its right, and a kitchen in a room of its left. Clark thought it looked rather cozy and slowly followed Jemma, closing the door behind him and placing his rucksack on the floor against the wall. Jemma was over by the window, pulling the curtains across and locking the latch. It wasn't until she turned around to find Clark standing in the centre of the room looking positively lost that she smiled faintly again. "Hey, if you want to take a shower, go right a head or if you want to go to sleep, the beds all yours." She told him, making her way into the kitchen, beginning to feel a little dizzy from the lack of food since her break early in the day. Clark seemed to snap out of his daze at her words and ran a hand through his hair. "A shower would be great, actually. Where are the towels kept?" He asked. Jemma popped out from behind the kitchen wall, stirring a bowl of what smelled to him like tomato soup, the fake kind though.

"Ugh, left cupboard under the sink I think, if not, the right." Clark nodded and thanked her again for the use of her temporary home before disappearing into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind him.

Jemma watched as he left the room and raised her spoon to her mouth, taking another sip of her god awful canned soup. _"Clark is so strange."_ She thought. _"One moment he comes across stoic and almost hardened and the next he's like a good little farm boy who always says please and thank you."_ Eating one last spoonful of her dinner, Jemma made a face and walked to the sink, tipping it out. It really was terrible. She didn't need to guess why it was 99c. Rinsing her bowl out and placing it in the sink, the young woman made her way back into the living/bedroom and quickly began changing into her sleepwear; she was too tired and couldn't be bothered doing much else that night. Jemma had just finished pulling her long sleeved skivvy over her torso when she heard the bathroom door unlocking and looked up, as Clark existed, almost shrieking with shock as she quickly turned the other way. Clark exited the room with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, having completely forgotten his clothes in the living area. Although he pretended not to notice Jemma's rather amusing reaction to seeing him shirtless and practically naked, it didn't make him feel any less embarrassed and he cleared his throat as he quickly grabbed his bag from the other side of the room.

"Sorry, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, I forgot my clothes." He apologized and he could hear Jemma make a funny noise in her throat as she turned back around. He didn't fail to notice the couple second glance she took at his chest. "Ugh, no sorry it's fine." Jemma said clearing her throat as they both could hear her voice had raised an octave. "I mean I just wasn't expecting…" She trailed off as she gestured to him and Clark smiled entering the bathroom once more, nodding and closing the door behind him as he removed his towel and begun to dress himself in slacks and a singlet shirt. He was used to sleeping shirtless, but seeing how Jemma had reacted and the fact that there was only one bed and no couch, he didn't think it was entirely a good idea. His own heart did a little jump in his chest as the image of Jemma looking at his body flashed through his mind and Clark frowned. Not only was that barely appropriate, he barely knew her and he wasn't exactly sure why the thought made him a little more positive about, well… everything.

Shaking his head once more, expelling any left over droplets of water that hadn't dried yet, the man opened the door once more, and stepped out. This time Jemma was sitting against the headboard of the bed, having turned the TV on and was very tired following the screen with her eyes.

"Where do you want me to sleep?" he asked softly and Jemma seemed to snap out of her little daze. "Uh, the bed is fine. It's big enough for two people. Besides we're both adults…" She shrugged and pattered the spot next to her, yawning. Clark nodded once. It wasn't that he was uncomfortable with sharing the bed; it was just that he had the tendency to throw his arm over or around any other occupants. He smiled softly at her as she maneuvered under the covers and the man walked over to 'his' side of the bed, pulling up the blanket and settling him self in. The light was already off, the room being lit by the TV which Jemma leant over and turned off via remote, shrouding the room in instant silence and darkness. Clark waited for a moment, feeling a little awkward in sharing a bed with someone he'd met all of thrice. "Good night Clark. Sleep well." Jemma called over her shoulder. Clark smiled. "Good night, Jemma."

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! I have been asked why my chapters a pretty short and honestly my only reason is that I prefer to write shorter chapters... Any questions or comments just let me know ^^**

**Special thanks to for their review! :)**

**R&R :D**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Two chapters in one day! You guys are lucky!**

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The morning had been a long one. Jemma had gone with Clark to the Motel reception and they had managed to get him a room that coincidentally was next to hers. After that, Clark had gone off to find himself some work and Jemma had gone out and brought some new groceries, not skimping on the soup this time. While she had been in town, the young woman had stepped into her work to check her roster only to find Clark being shown the ropes.

"We've got to stop meeting like this!" He had said putting a hand on her arm as she excused herself to the backroom, earning a glare from many of the young women and three of the young men who worked at the pub. She had bid him goodbye until the evening after that and had head home, only to find herself staring blankly at the necklace she usually wore around her neck, three empty bottles of some god-awful beer on the floor. Subconsciously, Jemma knew she was crying, but her mind had already taken in and gotten used to the fact her sister was dead. It had been six months since she had found her and she was mostly just numb to the pain now. She was used to it. Everyone left her at some point; first her father, then her sister and her mother followed soon after. Her boyfriend had left saying she was too much to handle and Jemma found herself not staying in one place too long. She didn't know what she was doing with Clark… she felt drawn to him, but she knew that if they spent any more time together, in the end one of them would leave, and it would probably be him. It was always better to leave first than to be left. Wiping the wetness away from her eyes and replacing the necklace back around her neck, Jemma stood and made up her mind quickly. She knew that this decision was made mostly because of the alcohol but she couldn't bring herself to do anything else at that moment. She grabbed her bag and started packing away the things in it that she owned, electing to leave the food in the fridge. After she had grabbed all of her clothes and other possessions, Jemma quickly headed out the door, only to run face first into Clark himself. He put his hands on her shoulders to steady her and in her drunken haze Jemma thwacked his hands away, making to move around him. Clark looked at her confused before the scent of alcohol caught up with his nostrils and he frowned a little.

"Let me past!" She said angrily, pushing against Clark's arms but the man stood still.

"Are you drunk? It's not a good idea to go somewhere, especially in this kind of weather, when you're drunk." He said gesturing to the thin layer of snow covering the ground and the ice that had formed on the roads. Jemma only muttered something completely unintelligible, her gloved hands still pressing against him, trying to get him to move. He didn't fail to notice the two bags she was carrying and a quick survey through the walls of her room suggested she was leaving.

"Jemma, what's the matter? Where are you going?" He asked again, placing his hands on the sides of her arms as to keep her from stumbling. "It's not of your god damn business that's where!" She exclaimed and mad a miserable attempt at freeing herself from his grip. Clark gave her the look one would give to a child throwing a tantrum and for some reason it mad Jemma feel a little guilty for wanting to leave without telling him. _"Not that I owe him a damn thing! Stupid good looking men and their stupid blue eyes!"_ She thought to herself, relaxing in his hold a little. "I'm going away to the next town or city or whatever. I need to leave, now. Let me go!" she whined again only making Clark's frown deeper. "Why? What's wrong? What's happened?" He asked tightening his grip just a little on her as she almost feel forwards. Jemma glared up at him, full force.

"I'll tell you what's wrong, everyone always leaves! That's what's wrong! My father, my sister, my mother! Everyone! Gone! So this time I'm leaving, I won't give anyone else the chance to walk out on me!" She cried, suddenly becoming hysteric and Clark couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She had no one, she was like him in a way, always traveling, but at least he had his mother to go home to when he was done. Bringing her to him in a comforting hug, Clark tried to hush the crying woman who only quieted a little.

"I'm still leaving." She said in words muffled by his chest. "Don't try to stop me." Clark sighed and quickly made up his mind. "You can't go anywhere alone while drunk… Let me come with you." He told more than asked and spoke again when he could hear she was about to protest. "At least until your sober." Jemma relaxed again and he could feel the movement of her head nodding against him and he let her go, taking a look at her. She was a mess, eyes swollen, face red and smudged makeup around her eyes, although Clark couldn't see how she looked anything but more attractive to him than before. He blinked at his own thoughts for a moment before brushing them aside. There was no time for that now. He wasn't sure why he was doing this, he had just gotten himself a place to stay and a job in this town, but he felt a connection to Jemma and he would feel forever guilty if something happened to her when he could've stopped it. Putting a hand on her back, Clark gently moved her forwards, unlocking his own door, and into the room that he had rented, all he had to do to gather his things was grab his bag and the toothbrush he left in the bathroom. Jemma smiled as he ushered her out of the door again and onto the street, exiting the motel grounds and beginning to walk along the main road that lead out of the tiny town. "Thank you… for this." She said as she stumbled a bit and Clark placed a hand around her elbow, keeping her a little steady on the slippery roads. They walked for miles before a car drove near and Clark lazily held out his thumb. The truck stopped several meters a head of them and the pair were soon once again sitting in the tray of an old pickup, this time Jemma leant against Clark as she slowly drifted into a drunken sleep, and Clark had held his arm around her shoulders, giving her a little more warmth from the cold.

Several hours later Clark once again questioned his own motives in accompanying Jemma, but his heart told him it was the right thing to do. He looked down at her briefly, snuggled into his side and wondered if she may be a good luck charm for him finding his heritage. He shook those thoughts away and closed his own eyes, figuring he may as well get some sleep while they were driving the endless mountain roads. But just as he did, he noticed something very wrong and perked up listening. Silence. He could hear the wind, he could hear Jemma's heart beating and he could hear the sounds of wild life. The car seemed to accelerate all of a sudden and Clark cursed mentally having figured out too late what had happened. He looked into the back window of the pickup, the driver sat motionless, leaning against the steering wheel as the truck sped towards a large drop off into a forest down below. Clark's eyes widened, and he began to move, his jostling waking Jemma up and she began to panic as she saw what was happening.

"Oh my god, Oh my god!" She screamed as Clark punched in the back window, pulling the driver from the drivers seat, effectively dragging him into the back. The car began to slow with no more pressure being placed on the accelerator, but the car was only a meter or two away from the cliff when Clark grabbed Jemma, facing her away from the fall and using himself to protect her as they fell over the edge of the truck and somehow overtook it, falling down the hill and into the edge of the forest, Clark reached out to slow their decent by latching onto a tree. Jemma was yelling the whole time, Clark held her easily with one arm, as they finally came to a stop, Clark rushing forwards to stop the car from crushing them as it hurtled towards their location. Jemma watched with wide eyes as the truck immediately stopped and dented when Clark made contact with it, the young woman suppressing the urge to scream as loudly as she could. The back of Clark's shirt was torn and ripped but she could clearly see he had not been damaged by their skip down the mountain. Tensing up as he slowly turned towards her, Jemma stared at him and the dents he had made in the car. She wasn't sure whether to run in fear or to hug him for saving her life. But she recalled when she had been completely smashed and he hadn't left her. Her mind was made up as she slowly got to her feet, Clark seemingly shied away from her as she stepped closer, as if she was the one who just stopped a pickup with her bare hands.

"Are you alright?"

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**A/N: Read and Review! Tell me what you think! ::D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: If I owned Superman I wouldn't be here writing fanfiction, I'd be rolling on the floor of my money room.**

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Clark stared at the woman in front of him; trying his hardest not to let his jaw hit the floor. She had just witnessed him stopping a car with his bare hands and she asked if he was all right. He glanced at her skeptically, half expecting her to be at least half a mile away by now running and screaming. He had already resigned himself while saving her that he would probably never see her again after this. But there she stood, shaking but still there.

"I'm fine…" Clark told her, removing his hands from the car after making sure it wouldn't move again. Jemma let out a puff of air and quickly approached him. Clark had wanted her or expected her to not come near him at all, but in half a second she had grabbed his hands and had begun inspecting them while fussing over the rest of him, checking for damage that may have been caused by the crash. Clark could only stand in shocked awe as she rambled.

"I don't know how you did that and honestly I'm not sure I want to but there is no way you are 'fine'. Do you need a hospital? Let me look at your back, isn't that what we skidded down on? oh god is there blood? I'm not good with blood!" She exclaimed letting go of his hands and circling around him. Clark found himself blinking away the surprise as she came back around to his front, waving her fingers in his face. "…Are you in shock? I think I'm in shock, did that just happen? We just fell down-" She paused in her rant for a moment to look up at the massive hill they'd just skidded down. "- Like 100 meters and you are completely unharmed. Clark? Clark!" Jemma began to panic as the reality of what had happened just set in and the man could hear her breathing pick up as she stared to fan herself. Clark placed his hands on either side of her face gently forcing her to look at him. "Jemma, deep breaths okay? I'll… Explain later. For now we need to call the police and then get out of here." Jemma nodded feebly between his hands and Clark flashed her a reassuring smile.

"Wait, what happened to the driver?" She asked as she fished her mobile from her pocket and handed it to Clark who quickly dialed 911.

"Hello 911? Yes, my friend and I were bush walking and we've found and over turned vehicle. The driver inside is dead…." He looked at Jemma as he said this and the young woman immediately took a few steps away from the car. She didn't feel comfortable with the fact that only a few meters away from her there were a dead man inside that truck. Clark gave the operator their approximate location (though how he knew she didn't know) and hung up after thanking them. After quickly checking Jemma over for any injuries and concluding she only had a few scratches and bruises here and there Clark quickly grabbed his bad which had somehow managed to stay inside the truck bed and approached Jemma, who had stayed silent, a hand over her mouth as she contemplated what had just happened. She let him take her hand as he gently pulled her away from the scene, walking briskly towards the next open road.

They walking for half an hour in silence before Jemma seemed to snap out of it, suddenly stopping as she stared wide eyed at the man who was now slightly in front of her, still connected at the hands. "You… stopped a car. With your hands…" She stated, awed. Clark nodded, he wasn't sure he wanted to tell her everything just yet, but he felt he could at least trust her with some things. "Not only that but you _dented_ the car, like, it bent around you!" She continued, looking down at their hands. Clark waited for the next statement, something about him being a monster or not human (which wasn't exactly a lie). "I bet if you wanted you could totally crush my fingers into dust or something right now." She said and the man had to do a double take. _That_ had not been what he was expecting at all and he found himself smirking a little after the initial surprise. Jemma began walking again after that, but that didn't stop her from talking.

"So, you're like a superhuman or something. Can you do anything else groovy?" She asked swinging their entwined fingers subconsciously. Clark almost choked at the word 'groovy' that was the last word he'd use to describe his powers. "Yes, but you can't tell anyone Jemma. I mean it." She made a zip motion over her mouth before locking it and throwing away the key. That made him laugh a little and he thought how childish she was sometimes. And that was when he realized he didn't actually know how old she was. And that was when she realized he'd been staring at her.

"What? Is there something wrong? Please don't tell me that now I know, you're going to have to kill me, cause I escaped death once today already…" Jemma said half joking but Clark could hear a hint of seriousness in her voice. "No, I will never hurt you, I promise you that. I was only wondering how old you are." He said and Jemma heaved a sigh of relief not realizing just how serious she'd actually been.

"Oh um, I'm twenty-two… Yourself?" Clark blinked in surprise. She looked to be a older than that. He had originally guessed her to be around 25 or a year or so younger than himself. But she had had a hard life, and trauma ages you sometimes.

"I'm 28 in June." He said and Jemma seemed just as surprised as he was about her. "Huh. You don't look it… I bet its part of that superhuman stuff yeah?" She asked and Clark frowned. He'd never thought about it before, He'd never really thought he looked younger than whatever age he was. "I think I just have a baby face." He told her after a moment and Jemma laughed.

Jemma would always remember the day she found out about Clark's powers. From the tiniest details about her getting drunk to the fact he stopped a truck with his bare hands, she would treasure that day in her memories.

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**A/N: I really wasn't sure with this chapter :S I had trouble writing it, so please be gentle xD**

**Thanks again to ArandoraStar for you lovely review! I love to read what you and others think, so please dont be shy and hit that pretty blue button ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own Superman. If I did, I'd have a harem made up of Brandon Routh and Henry Cavill. ****And possibly Tom Welling.**

**But mostly Henry Cavill.**

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A five years had passed since Jemma had initially learnt of Clark's abilities, and although he didn't tell her the whole truth immediately she had been okay with that. It was his private business. They had decided to continue traveling together as well. Both Jemma and Clark found it nice to have someone that was a constant in their lives. They still moved around a lot, occasionally they'd revisit places they'd been before that they hadn't made too much of a splash in. The pair had grown a lot closer and a hell of a lot more comfortable with each other and he had eventually told her about his heritage and his quest to find out more. She had been so understanding and accepting of him that he had kissed her on the spot. It was the first kiss either of them had had in years and the two had started an easy relationship soon after. He recalled that moment as he walked around the deck of the ship he was currently working on, suppressing the small smile that threatened to spread across his once again bearded face.

_Clark sat on the bed of the dingy motel staring at the roof; hands under his head as he listened vaguely to the TV that Jemma had left on before she left. That was five hours ago and he knew she'd be due back from work any moment now. Just as he had finished his thought the door began to rattle as the young woman pushed it open, two bags of groceries in her hand and the room key in the other. Clark looked up immediately and she graced him with a grin that made his heart jump a little. He had accepted a long time ago that he had strong feelings for Jemma, but had never found the opportunity to tell her. _"Besides," _He thought,_ "It would only make things weird if she doesn't return them."

"_I bought some booze, so we can get wasted tonight, in celebration of you finding some work!" She had exclaimed wiggling her eyebrows and brandishing a few bottles of some alcoholic mixture she had bought. Clark smiled at her._

"_You know I can't get drunk right?" He asked her, his voice filled with curiosity as she made her way to his spot on the bed, sitting down next to him and allowing him to inspect a bottle of whatever it was she had bought. "What? Is it part of your whole superhuman shit you got going on?" Jemma wondered aloud with a frown. She still didn't know much about his powers, just that he had super strength, hearing, sight and apparently, x-ray vision, the last of which she found extremely amusing and would often randomly ask him what color underwear she was wearing. Clark would then refuse to look at her for the next hour afraid she'd think he was 'looking'. She found his gentlemanliness endearing. Clark nodded at her observation about him. Jemma sighed, lying back down on the bed next to him, blowing out a puff of air._

"_Jesus… What are you? An alien?" She asked jokingly, nudging Clark with a laugh. She stopped though, when she realized he hadn't replied to her question and instead was looking rather self-conscious. Jemma immediately sat up and stared at him wide eyed._

"_No way." _

"_I think its time I told you everything… You deserve that much." He said sitting up and Jemma had followed him, placing a hand on his lips, which had surprised him._

"_No I don't want you to tell me anything if you feel you must. I only want you to tell me if you want to." She said with a sigh, moving her hand from his lips to cup his face. Clark reached up and covered her hand with his own, moving them down to the space between them on the bed. "I do want to tell you." He said quietly and Jemma braced herself. She had just found out he was an alien and she wasn't sure she could process much more that day but she listened as he practically told her his life story. Some of the things she'd heard before, like the fact he had been adopted, but this time he didn't leave out the part his parents had found him in a space ship in their cornfield._

_Clark had never told someone his secret before, not in full at least and once he started he couldn't seem to stop, even when he began fearing that he was boring Jemma to death, he kept going until he got up to the present. When he had finished they sat in silence for a while, until Jemma fell back against the bed, her eyes wide as she went over the information. Finally she sat up again and Clark stared at her expectantly, waiting for her reply._

"_Cool." She said suddenly, her face breaking out with a grin and Clark found him self heaving a sigh of relief, although confused at her reaction._

"_You… don't care?" He asked nervously and Jemma cocked her head at him._

"_To be honest at first I thought you were pulling my leg, but think about it Clark… three months ago I literally saw you catch a falling tree, and before that you heard that lady crying for help across town when she was _gagged_. No normal person could have done those things, even just a super human. Its not all that surprising that you're not actually... well… human." She told him with a smile, her hand resting on is knee, rubbing in a soothing motion._

"_Besides, I don't give a shit that you're an alien, that doesn't change who you are!" Jemma said in a quiet voice as she laid down again, Clark following her this time, lying on his side, his blue yes studying her face._

"_Who am I?" He asked after a moment. Jemma knew he was staring at her in that intense way he did sometimes, with his lips pursed and eyebrows furrowed and it sort of made her hot but she pushed that aside in favor of answering his question._

"_You're kind… and caring… and you can't help yourself when someone's in trouble, hell you'd be dead several times over saving someone if it hadn't of been for the fact your near invincible! You're also really very handsome and did I mention kind hearted? You're also a bit of a boy scout but that's okay, I like that." She said with a smile and a wink and the next thing she knew, Clark had leaned forward and kissed her. It was quick and chaste, but it she so took back what she had said about him being a boy scout. He _knew_ how to kiss. He pulled away almost immediately and apologized._

"_I'm sorry Jemma. I didn't mean to be so forward, I-" He started but Jemma had already grabbed his collar, and shut him up by pressing her lips to his in a much slower kiss. Their lips danced against each other for several moments before she felt his hand creep up the back of her neck and tangle itself in her hair. She wanted to melt at the feeling, but she settled for kissing him a little harder, her own hand resting on his chest, and pulling at his shirt and it wasn't long before she felt his tongue run along her bottom lip and she immediately opened her own mouth to give him entrance. His other hand went to her waist as he rolled them on the bed and his hands soon found the hem of her shi-_

Clark was suddenly tackled to the ground as a falling crate landed where he had just been standing.

"Watch it dumb-ass! Keep your eyes open otherwise you're gonna get squashed!" Another crewmember yelled at him motioning to his eyes as he got up of the floor. He offered Clark a hand and he took it, allowing the man to pull him up as another crewmember spoke. "Where the hell they find you, Greenhorn?" he remarked and Clark could only stare after them as they walked away. Reliving that memory had been totally worth the scorn of his crew mates.

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**WOOHOO! Finally into Man of Steel! Sorry for the major Time Skip by the way...**

**I may have random chapter here and there describing some of their wonderful timeskip adventures ;P**

**Read and Review my friends :) Tell me what you think, I'm always keen for feedback!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I recently bought Superman on gumtree. Its all mine now. Yippee!**

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Clark ran quickly through the random houses backyard. He'd swum back to some sleepy little town and needed to find clothes to change into ASAP. A young man was bringing in groceries for his mother as the rain began to pour a little harder and they elected to wait until the rain stopped to get the rest of the bags. Clark waited until they were inside to approach the clothesline. He felt a pair of socks and frowned feeling that they were wet, before quickly jogging over to the car to find some conveniently placed clothes, which he grabbed under his arm, and ran off to find the nearest place he could change. He'd found cover in an old bar, quickly changing in the bathrooms as not to cause any suspicion about his burnt and mangled clothes. Walking out of the toilets Clark approached the front counter with an easy, but mostly fake smile at the young woman behind the counter who smiled right back.

"Hi, I was just wondering if I could make a quick call? My phone got completely drenched in the rain." He lied and the girl threw a suspicious look into the backroom of the bar. "I'm not meant to…" She said trailing off as her boss walked out a back door, a packet of cigarettes in his hand. "Okay, but make it quick. It takes him five minutes to smoke one." She said and directed him to the backroom. Clark thanked the girl and waited until she was out of hearing range to dial. He placed the phone to his ear and waited as a fuzzy ringing sound went off in his ear. The phone rung three times before it was picked up.

"_Hello this is Jemma Fields?"_ a female voice said down the line and Clark couldn't help but smile to himself. He was the only one who ever called her phone and yet she always answered it this way.

"It's Clark… There was a situation on the ship, I had to leave." He told her and he could practically hear Jemma worrying.

"_What? Where are you now?_" She questioned him after a pause. And Clark looked around the office, finding a map of the state pinned to the wall with the town having been circled.

"Some place called Yarmouth, I'm in Canada." He said and Jemma sighed loudly.

"_I'm still in Virginia! Where you left me!_" Jemma grumbled and muttered something about the cold that made Clark smile._ "Wait for me there, I'll meet you._" She told him with some finality and Clark saw the girl from the bar peek around the corner telling him to finish up.

"Okay, will do. Jemma I have to go." Clark told her distractedly as he listened in for the bar manager as he finished up his cigarette.

"_Yes, ok. Keep me updated if you move again okay? Love you._" She said quickly and Clark could vaguely hear on the other end of the phone someone yelling for her to get back to work.

"Love you too." He replied with a smile and hung up quickly, placing the phone back on the set and making his way out to the front of the bar again just as the manager entered the building. Clark smiled cheekily at the girl behind the cashier and winked at her as he left the bar.

It took Jemma two weeks to hitchhike up to Canada and then a further four days to get to Nova Scotia, but she was welcomed happily when she did arrive. Clark had found himself working at the very bar he'd made the phone call from and had managed to get his boss to hire Jemma as well when she arrived. Now that Clark had told Jemma everything they had worked to try and find something, anything that could give Clark information about who he was. They traveled around strategically, going to towns where there had been apparent UFO sightings or anything really. Most of the time the sightings where a dead end but occasionally they would lead to other things, like in this town.

Clark was clearing tables quickly, ready to be done with the day and Jemma sat at the bar on her break, sipping at a cup of water and chatting to the other girl who was working, Chrissy. As he bent down to pick up a straw that had fallen to the floor he heard the soft giggling of the two women and quickly stood up straight again, making his way over to the end of the bar, setting down a tray of dirty cups and wiping the out with a cloth. He looked up at Chrissy as she left to deliver drinks, smiling at her as she left the bar, winking at Jemma who only rolled her eyes and began to hum to the tune of the song the girl on the guitar was singing. That was when he heard some of the military folk who had come in start talking about something the army had found.

"…They said they found something strange in EImsmere…"

"I know it's crazy right? The Americans are there too, lots of them." One man said, looking between his friends. Clark listened intently until another conversation caught his attention.

"Back off Ludlow. I'm serious." Chrissy said a bit loudly cause both Clark and Jemma to turn and look, the former of which curled her lip in disgust as Ludlow grabbed Chrissy's ass and Jemma motioned for Clark to do something.

"Knock it off!" The Waitress said as she slapped the man's hand away but he was too quick and grabbed her arms, pulling on her. "C'mon! Sit down…"

Ludlow let go when a large hand landed on his shoulder and Clark glared at him.

"Hey, leave her alone man." He said evenly and for a moment the other man only stared at him until he quickly stood up, whipping his cap off and throwing it at some glasses, causing them to fall and smash. Clark looked uncomfortable as the man got up in his face.

"Or what? Tough Guy?" Ludlow asked challengingly and Clark could only stare at the ground in fear of burning the guy's brains out. Assuming he had any.

"Or, I'm going to have to ask you to leave." He said, finally looking at Ludlow as the other man got even more in his face.

"I think I'll just leave when I'm good and ready…" He said before throwing the contents of his drink in Clark's face. That was when Jemma stood up and marched over to them, slightly pushing Clark out of the way as she went. She balled her fist and punched him square in the jaw, making him fall back a few steps as his hand came to his mouth. Clark wouldn't hit him, but that didn't mean she had the same restrictions. "You little bitch!" Ludlow said and made to shove her but Jemma found herself suddenly staring at Clark's back as the man instead made contact with him, practically bouncing off of his chest. Jemma could tell just by his body language that Clark wasn't at all calm with the man anymore, the only thing stopping him from doing anything else was Chrissy's sudden appearance at his side, tugging on his arm.

"It's not worth it Sweetie…" She told him quietly. Jemma placed her hand on his other arm in a silent motion to retreat. Clark began to calm at her touch and slowly removed his apron, turning and beginning to walk away, Jemma closely at his side, her hand still on his arm, when Ludlow spoke again.

"Hey asshole, you forgot your tip." He said with a sneer and threw his empty can at the back of Clark's head. The man stopped in his tracks for a moment and Jemma seriously considered turning around and decking him again but she didn't see how it would do either of them any good. She pulled on his hand and led him out the door.

When they reached the motel they were staying in, Jemma made to unlock the door when a large hand covered her own. "You shouldn't have hit him…" Clark said, although his tone didn't imply that he was all that upset she had. He just sounded tired. "No, I shouldn't have. But I did, and it felt good." Jemma replied, unlocking the door and walking inside, turning the lights on as Clark closed the door with a sigh. She turned and inspected him, his clothes were old and worn and now soaked with beer and his expression told her that he was still mad.

"Hey, come here…" She said as she approached the rather menacing looking man and embraced him, getting on her absolute tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck. Clark held her around her waist, lifting her slightly and burying his face in her neck, breathing in her scent and smiling to himself.

"Better?" Jemma asked after a moment, pulling away slightly to look up at him. Clark stared down at her with a look she could barely read, but had come to know as his 'I love you lots and lots' face. With a smile she kissed him lightly before pulling out of his arms completely walking to their bed, beginning to strip off as she did so, Clark attempting to look anywhere but at her.

"What are you doing?" He asked slightly panicked and Jemma laughed. They had seen each other naked plenty of times, but Clark was still awkward with casual nudity. With a cheeky grin Jemma wrapped her towel around her self.

"I'm having a shower… You coming?" She winked and Clark looked straight at her trying to determine her seriousness. When he had concluded that she was, in fact, being serious Clark straightened a little attempting to run his hands through his hair but realizing that it was all sticky from the beer. Jemma noticed the movement and smiled genuinely at him adoringly.

"I'll wash your hair for you…" She tempted and squealed when in less than a second she found herself cover by Clark's shirt on her head. She laughed and threw the shirt off, chasing him into the bathroom as he discarded his clothes haphazardly on the floor.

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**Thanks to Kindleflame5 for reviewing and following! I love to discuss theories!**

**also thanks to nachobeats823 for following, it means a lot!**

**Thanks to all anons who reviewed, this is my longest chapter yet :S**

**Read and Review! 3**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: If I owned Superman, would I still want to be writing fanfiction?**

**Yes, probably.**

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By the next morning, Jemma and Clark had left town, making their way as quickly as possible to Elmsmere, where they had heard of the strange discovery made by the military. When they had finally arrived, _somehow_ Clark had managed to get both their names on the payroll of one of cargo companies, He as a laborer named 'Joe' and Jemma as a caterer named 'Becky'. It wasn't the first time either of them had used the aliases, but Jemma still had to suppress an eye roll at the uncreativeness of the names Clark had come up with. Jemma vaguely remembered telling him that they sounded like _"An old hillbilly couple living in the south and raisn' cattle while chewin' on straw." _The young woman sighed as she shivered on the spot, currently standing in one of the tent like buildings that had been erected and was being used as a cafeteria of sorts for the soldiers and workers. She had been cleaning up after any and all who entered for their meal times four the last three hours, and last she had seen 'Joe' was when he had stopped by an hour ago to tell her he was to go and help some journalist named Lois Lane, that was coming to carry her bags, and it was now early evening. Jemma had heard of Lois Lane before and greatly admired the woman's work as a writer, journalism and communications having been what Jemma had been studying at university when her sister first went missing. Pushing the thought of her sister from her mind, Jemma began to feel a little excited. If Lois Lane was here, that meant that this thing in the ice, whatever it was, is pretty big news. Or was going to be when she was done with it.

Jemma looked up at the open door just in time to see Clark walk by, he looked in briefly and smiled at her. Jemma waved slightly at him as he passed and sighed, quickly going back to wiping down the table she had been clearing. She jumped with fright as a hand was placed on her shoulder and she turned to find a much older lady who was well into her 50's standing there with her hands on her hips. "It's time for you to get back to your quarters hon." She said and Jemma frowned, she wasn't finished her shift here for another three hours, and the dinner rush hadn't even happened yet. "Gladys, I'm not done yet? It's only six…" Jemma told the lady, pointing to the clock on the wall. Gladys silenced her with her hands. "Don't tell me that. All I know is that you need to get back to that handsome young man who always comes in to see you!" She said in the conspiratorially sweet manner only an old lady could pull off. Jemma smiled. "Are you sure you won't need me here?" She asked and began taking her apron off when Gladys once again shushed her. Hugging the old woman, Jemma quickly made for the door, but not before pulling on another puffed snow coat, waving goodbye to the other ladies in the tent.

When Jemma opened the door and took a step out she was immediately greeted with the burning cold wind. She turned left and began making her way to the non army barracks that had been set up, hugging her arms to herself and keeping her head down as she walked. When she finally reached the section of the encampment that was for workers sleeping she turned towards the men's side and opened the door. Of course being a military operation everyone was segregated, but if you weren't in the Army they really didn't give a shit. Jemma walked briskly down the walkways of bunk beds and smirked when she saw the man that had previously tried grabbing her ass the other night after some lewd comments only to be met with her fist and the boots of a female officer that had been watching. She winked at his black eye as she walked past. "Round Two?" The man glared at her but stayed put and Jemma continued to smirk until she had passed him and came to the last bed at the very end of the long room. 'Joe' sat there in sweat pants and a loose, but in the right places form fitting, dirty white shirt that looked so thin she wanted to smack him for his ability to not feel the cold as severely as she did. She hugged her arms a little closer to her body as a chill ran through her and she leaned on the opposite bunk. Sometimes she envied his powers.

"So, is tonight the night we're going to go check out whatever that thing in the ice is?" Jemma said staring appreciatively at his behind when Clark got up from the bed and bent down to pull a thick coat, if only for appearances sake, from underneath the bed. When he had pulled on the jacket Clark turned to stare at her and knew right then and there that any argument he had wanted to make about her not coming was going to be futile. She was staring up at him from her tiny 5'5 height (compared to his 6'4 that is) with her eyes big and beautiful and Clark was fairly certain that the chill of the wind giving her a red nose was par of her plan because he couldn't help but find her adorable. He regarded her for a moment more. She still didn't look older than the day he saw her sitting in that bar (yes he had remembered her) and that had been almost six and half years ago. Her face hadn't changed a bit and even though she was turning 27 this year and he 33 and although he was youthful still, she still looked like a fresh-faced college kid.

"Jemma, I'm not sure it's a good idea you coming…" Clark trailed off when he saw a flash of hurt in Jemma's eyes. "Look, Cla– _Joe_ I have been with you for five years now, helping you search, there is no way in hell I am missing out on this if it happens to be something that could help you." She argued and Clark relented, the pair waiting until dark to move.

Lois Lane was by nature, a curious woman. That was possibly a big reason she was such a good reporter; she always dug until she found the deep, dirty secrets. So when she had decided to sneak out to take some pictures for her article, Lois' curiosity was extremely piqued at the sight of two individuals sneaking up the glacier in the background of one of her images. A mind full of ideas already forming, Lois decided to quickly follow the pair, who had apparently forgotten to cover their tracks, and within the hour had almost caught up to them.

As she edged round the icy cliff Lois made careful her footing was just right as she had almost fallen earlier, and she would rather not have to explain her injuries to the Colonel. And that was when she saw the giant hole in the wall. It was at least six foot tall and about the same length across and it look oddly like the ice had been melted away. It stretched deep into the glacier and Lois just couldn't push the idea that this had something to do with the two people she had seen coming up this way. As she entered the strange doorway of sorts she tugged her coat closer to chest and braced herself.

Lois could literally not help but take the first step to falling down the rabbit hole.

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**A/N: Ahhh! Sorry for the long wait between chapters... I had a bit of trouble with this one... Now that we're officially into MAN OF STEEL I've been having trouble telling the story without just narrating what happens in the movie.**

**SPECIAL THANKS TO:**

**WinterRain36**

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**Complete-Global-Saturation**

**GravityHasNoLimit**

**Sandrinha Ferreira (if i put the dot in it won't show up :S Thank you for your kind words! 3)**

**ArandoraStar (thanks for sticking by this so far and always leaving a lovely review! 3)**

**Runwithcheetah24**

**Kindleflame5**

**Nachobeats823**

**Thanks so much all for liking my story enough to review/favorite/follow! It means the world to me and I am always inspired to write more at the notice of your kindness! 3**

**I Love You Guys! xx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I totally own superman (not)**

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Jemma stayed close behind Clark as he did his 'laser tag thing' as she so affectionately called it. She'd never seen him use it this heavily before and so she stayed quite, not wanting to distract him. As the final layer of ice was melted away and Clark shook his head a little, reverting back to normal vision, Jemma wrapped her arms around his bicep and held tight afraid she might faint. Clark looked at her concerned until she nodded ahead of him and the man turned his head suddenly speechless about the sight in front of them. There, half encased in ice, was a gigantic ship of some sort and Clark recognized the architecture immediately, letting out a puff of air as He began to move towards it, Jemma close by his side. After a small amount of fiddling around, Jemma watched as Clark found the apparent door into the ship and when he couldn't find any way to open it, simply ripped it off it's hinges. Jemma stepped back instinctively, slightly frightened. Sure she had seen him stop cars and catch trees but she'd never seen him be quite so destructive and the thought of him being quite so aggressive, especially with his strength and other abilities, scared her a little. She brushed the thoughts away however when he turned to her, looking almost like a lost little boy, but still noting the distance she'd placed between them with a frown.

"I think we've found something…" He said and Jemma walked towards the entrance he'd made, gesturing up at the hole. "Give me a boost." She said and took hold of his shoulders when he gripped her gently around the waist and easily picked her up, Jemma placing a her hands either side of the 'door' and using his shoulder as footfalls. She yelped a little in surprise when his hands left her waist to grip an entirely different area and she turned to look down at him. "That was not an invitation for you to grab my ass, Kent!" She exclaimed and Clark only smirked and shooed her gently away from the opening once she stood inside the ship, jumping up himself.

They walked through the first doorway that they saw, Jemma once again gripping tightly onto Clark's hand. They came to a large vast hallway of sorts, a glowing panel popping up next to them as they passed though the door, scaring Jemma and making her jump at least three feet away. Clark smiled at her gently and turned back to the panel, frowning when he realized the shape of the hole in it seemed oddly familiar. Jemma carefully turned away from him and placed her ungloved hands on the cold metal walls, immediately retracting them when the cold proved too much, instead turning back to Clark as he tore his necklace from his neck, the strange metal pendant immediately flying into the little hole. Jemma smiled at the back of his head but it swiftly turned into a look of horror as her eyes caught notice of a strange cylinder shaped pod drift down from the ceiling.

"Clark!" The man turned around quickly at the sound of panic in Jemma's voice and was taken slightly aback by the strange robotic entity that had appeared between them. Jemma pressed herself against the wall as panels on its body opened up and swiftly sent a metal whip flying towards Clark. The man gasped with slight surprise as the whip made contact with his skin, creating a thin gash in his arm and he spied the panel with his pendant in it, figuring it may turn the machine off. As he made towards it, the robot sent another whip at him, wrapping it around his arm and pulling him away from the panel. Jemma watched in horror as Clark struggled with the machine, but she saw his efforts to press the pendant all the way in and quickly made to move towards the panel, dodging Clark's battle with the machine. She screamed a little when a tentacle wrapped itself around her ankle with brute force and she cried out as it dragged her to the floor and away from the pendant. Another whip lashed out at her, but was caught mid air by Clark and he ripped it from the wherever it came from, fighting against two more tentacles that had wrapped themselves around him. The machine began retracting its tentacle that was around Jemma's ankle back into its body, but not letting her go and the young woman found herself swinging upside down by the foot as she kicked at the metal holding her captive.

Right in front of her eyes, she could see the panel and even figured if she swung herself she could reach it. Stretching her arms out in front of her, Jemma used what little core strength she had to violently swing herself as far as she could towards the panel, the movement of the machine fighting with Clark helping a little and her fingers grazed the pendant sticking out. "Fuck!" she swore and tried harder to move herself towards it finally getting enough leverage and pressing the metal shape inwards. The machine stopped in its actions immediately, letting Clark go and dropping Jemma as she swung, sending her sliding across the hallway with a painful sounding thump, a string of four lettered words trailing after her as she slid. Clark rushed to her as she stood again, glaring at the pod like machine that slunk off back into the depths of the ship.

"Are you okay?" He asked quickly, inspecting her body, through x-ray vision and regular eyesight. Jemma nodded, stretching her back a little. "That thing was strong…" Clark said causing his companion to look up at him quickly. "You're quite literally the strongest man I know, and if you had trouble with that thing… That scares me Clark." Jemma told him seriously and the man smiled thinly, before wrapping is arm around her, both being slightly startled by a strange noise behind them. Turning quickly and bracing for another attack of sorts, when they saw a figure far off down the hallway stare at them before turning and walking away. Jemma and Clark exchanged looks.

"Hello?" He called but the figure kept on moving until he could no longer be seen and Clark, tugged Jemma along gently, following the stranger.

Lois had been absolutely awestruck by the sight of the gigantic ship in the ice. She had stood for almost ten minutes just staring at it and taking a few photos until she spotted a hole in the hull, quickly making her way over to it, the reporter figured it was safe enough to climb up and did so with haste, placing her Camera up before following after it herself, once again her breath hitched as she laid her eyes on the futuristic interior of the ship.

The figure had seemed to lead them into some sort of control room. There was a captain's seat of sorts that Jemma took an immediate liking to, sitting in it and mock saluting. "Beam me up, Scotty!" She said with a wink and Clark shook his head, a fraction of a smile on his face when both their attentions were caught by the figure appearing in the door opposite to the one they came in, quickly walking away again. Clark helped Jemma down from the seat and the two followed once again the retreating figure. They came to a room with several strange pod-like things that Jemma likened to tanning beds. Curious as to what was inside, she rubbed the ice/dust away from one of them only to jump about a meter away with a loud gasp at the sight of a _very_ old corpse. Clark was by her side in seconds and frowned at what she had discovered. "Whoever's ship this was, they're long gone by now." He said and Jemma detected the slight disappointment in his voice. "Well, maybe not… That one's empty…" She told him pointing to a pod that was set a little ways from the others. Clark smiled down at her attempt to cheer him up a little but his head whipped around when he heard the sound of the machines whips far off and the cry of what sounded like a woman. Without warning, Clark quickly took off down many hallways of the ship, leaving Jemma standing in the middle of the strange room.

"Wha-" She started and then stopped when she saw the figure once again, appearing to gesture with his head for her to follow. Jemma considered her options for a moment. Her boyfriend had just run away for no apparent reason and now some strange person on a long frozen alien ship wanted her to follow him. She supposed weirder things had happened and with a sigh and a lot of false confidence, Jemma followed the figure. This time he didn't disappear from view and after walking through three or so rooms she stood only about four feet behind him as he lead her somewhere. As they walked she took in his clothes, which unsurprisingly, looked completely foreign. He wore grey and black robes that made him look rather regal and his hair was shaggy, but neat. He had what appeared to be a full beard and all together the man was quite handsome, although much, much older than she. Finally they reached some sort of viewing deck but outside the large window they were only greeted with solid ice.

"Who are you?" Jemma asked timidly, suddenly hoping Clark would return soon as the man turned to face her. He inspected her unashamedly, her long hair that was tied up messily atop her head, her short stature and her slowly wilting frame that was covered up by bundles of clothing and Jemma felt like she was being put under a microscope.

"You are beautiful, for an earthling. I can see why he has chosen you." The stranger spoke and Jemma was taken aback, not only by his deep voice, but also by the kindness she could hear in it. Being complemented by an unknown man, possibly an alien by the way he spoke to her, had not been on her agenda today.

"Thank you…?"

"Jor-El. You may call me Jor." He told her and Jemma nodded. The two stood awkwardly staring at each other for a moment before Jor-El gestured to her. "And how may I address you?" He asked and Jemma fumbled a little. "Oh! Um my name is Jemma, Jemma Fields." She said and Jor-El nodded his understanding. They dissolved into another awkward silence until the man suddenly appeared right next to Jemma, making her jump as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "I have no right to ask this of you Jemma, but look after Kal. While he may be alone in strength and speed and ability, as long as he has you he will never truly be alone. Look after him, make sure he knows even his limits, emotionally, physically…" Jor-El trailed off and Jemma stared confused as she begun to feel very sleepy all of a sudden.

"Wait! Who… who is… Kal…?" She slunk to the floor in a heap just as the ship began to move and break through the ice and as Clark entered the room with a passed out Lois in his arms. He carefully placed one woman on the floor to inspect the other and was confused to find she was only sleeping.

"You must leave them here." A voice told him and Clark looked up to stare at the stranger that had been evading he and Jemma earlier. "What?" He asked, confused.

"You must leave the humans where I have temporarily stopped this ship. They will be found, but I must speak with you alone." Jor-El told him and Clark, feeling something much deeper behind his words could only nod as a door towards the snow covered land below opened up. He carried out Lois first, and then Jemma, quickly pulling some old paper form his pocket and a pen and writing an address on it, before tucking it into her hand. He gently kissed her forehead, before climbing back aboard the ship, throwing one last glance at Jemma before the door closed and the ship was moving again.

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**A/N: Thank to everyone who read the last chapter, and every other chapter before it ^^**

**Thanks to Link's Rose and Kindleflame5 for your reviews/follows/favorites! 3**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I DONT F****** OWN SUPERMAN OKAY!? OKAY!?**

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Clark smiled at Jemma from across the bar as he made his way over to her, kissing her chastely before continuing past her on his way into the back room, removing his apron as he went. He was off for the night, and he had asked permission earlier to use the phone. Closing the door to the back office behind him, Clark dialled the familiar number and listened as it rang, a familiar voice answering.

"_Hello, Kent residence, Martha speaking"_ His mother said and Clark smiled from ear to ear at the sound of his mother's voice. "Mom, it's me Clark." He said and laughed as Martha gushed over the phone about how much she had missed him. _"Oh Clark! It's so good to hear from you!"_ she said and Clark told her likewise how he had missed her. The two chatted away idly for a few minutes before they came to a pause, Clark clearing his throat slightly. "So Mom, there's this girl I've been seeing for a while now…" He said trailing off slightly at the hitch he heard in his mother's breathing. _"Go on…"_ she said.

"Well, we met a few times before, she was looking for her sister that went missing and we always seemed to bump into each other. Somewhere along the way we ran into some trouble and… and I saved her. I stopped her from being crushed by a car." Clark fiddled with his fingers as he spoke. "And she accepted me, right away, she asked if I was okay!" He laughed, still rather unbelieving and he heard his mother laugh a little too. "So we began traveling together. Mom, you'd love her, she's funny, kind, and she doesn't take crap from nobody, I literally watched her punch out a bar patron once." Martha Kent laughed loudly. _"I do like the sound of her!"_ she agreed. _"What happened to her sister?"_ she asked, and Clark wished she hadn't. The subject and the way it had affected Jemma had been the subject of many rows between the two. "She was found dead six months before Jemma found out about me. She stopped taking care of herself properly after that, started drinking a bit too. Mom, sometimes she looks so frail and tiny and thin I think even a regular person could snap her in half if they wanted to. She gets so busy looking after everyone else and trying to get her mind off of her sister, she'll forget to eat and- I don't know why I'm telling you this, I'm sorry." Clark sighed. This wasn't how he wanted to introduce the idea of Jemma to his mother. _"You're telling me because I'm your mother, and because you love her. Don't try to tell me you don't Clark Kent! I know you!"_ his mother exclaimed and Clark sighed again, nodding his head, even though he knew she couldn't see him. "I do. But she makes me worry sometimes… She's gotten better in the last two years, but I still worry."

"_You've been with her for two years and you haven't told me sooner! Clark Kent when you come home you are in trouble young man!"_ Clark smiled. "Mom, I'm thirty years old." A banging on the door alerted him that his phone time was over.

"Mom I have to go now, I'm at work. Yes I will. I'll bring her next time, I promise. I love you too Mom. Goodbye."

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**A/N: SOOO sorry for the long wait! I've just started Uni!**

**this chapter is just a short non-linear chapter :S the next one is almost finished, but I thought I'd give you this!**

**SPECIAL THANKS TO:**

_** Alexstarlight18, Haziebug, Ellerosse, lovinurbuks, Archer777, number1don, Crazything24, Power-Up, fadedwolves, ClanaFan101, Kindleflame5, sandrinha ferreira and WinterRain36!**_

******Updates will probably be once a week from now on, maybe two times, we'll see ;) Love you all! R&R! xx 3**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: If I owned Superman I would **_-ERROR- -Message retracted-_

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Jemma Fields stared at the address messily written on the paper in her hand, and then at the letterbox in front of her, and then up at the conveniently placed road sign only thirty or so meters away. She sighed. This was definitely the place. Hitching her bag a little higher on her shoulder, Jemma swallowed (most of) her fear and began to walk at a steady pace down the long narrow driveway of the Kent's Farm. For some reason or another Jor-El had knocked her out somehow and she had woken up in a helicopter with Lois Lane who had smiled kindly at her before asking her how she had gotten out there with her. Jemma had pretended she was too shell shocked to speak and laid back down, trying to sleep as they were flown from the icy covered land to mainland Canada. She had been initially upset that Clark had left her, but after her first two days of hitchhiking to wherever it was that he had written for her to go to, she had forgiven him, realizing that whatever reason he had left her behind was a good one, he wouldn't have otherwise. She couldn't get Jor-El's words out of her head though.

"_While he may be alone in strength and speed and ability, as long as he has you he will never truly be alone..."_ she mulled these thoughts over as she walked. He had spoken of someone named Kal… and that he could 'see why he has chosen you'. Jemma frowned. Was Kal Clark? Was that his alien name or something? The young woman chewed her bottom lip in thought. _"Make sure he knows even his limits, emotionally, physically…"_ Jemma remembered that particular part often, it would just come to her randomly sometimes when she was walking, or waiting or not really doing anything that required much thought. If it was Clark that Jor had been speaking about, she wondered how exactly she could help him know his limits when she didn't even know the full extent of his abilities! Other than when he had melted the ice away with his laser tag vision (she would never not call it that) she had never seen Clark use his abilities just cause. He had stopped cars and caught trees and listened to conversations happening on the other side of town, but Jemma had never seen him truly use his strength, when he had so easily, without even trying really, pulled the metal panel from the ship to make them an entry way, that had gotten Jemma thinking about just how strong Clark may be? She wondered if she'd ever find out.

Jemma stopped as she approached the very farm-like looking house that was situated at the end of the driveway, in the middle of the fields. She lifted her hands to shield her eyes from the sun and smiled at it fondly, the red brick reminding her of her own home back in Texas.

"My Husband's father built the home. Beautiful isn't it?" A female voice came from behind her and the young woman turned to see a slightly older woman standing behind her, one hand she held a basket of apples, the other hand was being used similarly to Jemma's and was blocking out the sun. The woman smiled at her, and the younger woman found her to be rather beautiful, if not a little weathered due to maybe a little too long in the sun.

"It is, reminds me of my own little house back home." She drawled returning the woman's smile as she held out her hand and Jemma's took it, shaking the woman's hand heartily.

"I'm Martha Kent."

"Jemma Fields, Ma'am." She replied and a look of recognition before a slightly cheeky smile took over the woman's face as she took her hand back with a nod towards the house and the two began walking side by side.

"Anything in particular I can help you with, Jemma?" Martha asked gesturing to the piece of paper the younger woman still held in her hands. And Jemma braced herself as they reached the decking of the house and wondered briefly if Clark had told his mother about her (from the look she received she had guessed he had), climbing the stairs and taking a seat at one of the white chairs that sat around a little white table when Martha offered it to her.

"Well Ma'am, I'm a… a friend of your son Clark. We've been traveling together for a while now and he had to go off and do some… business… He sent me here, I don't know why though Mrs. Kent, I'm terribly sorry if I've intruded." Jemma babbled but cleared her throat awkwardly when she received a knowing look from Martha. "You know about him, don't you?" She asked, but it was more of a statement than a question and Jemma nodded hesitantly as the woman stood up. "You don't mind if we take this conversation inside, dear? It's a little hot outside. And I'd prefer none of the farm hands hearing any of this." Martha said and Jemma nodded twice, standing up and following the older lady inside, a grin appearing on her face at the Kent home's décor and she stopped in the living room, staring at all the photos and decorations on the wall.

"Can I get you anything?" Martha called from the kitchen. "No thank you Ma'am!" Jemma called back, really wishing not to intrude even though she was dying of thirst. Martha returned with a tray of lemonade and two glasses anyway and Jemma smiled, the woman reminding her very much of her own mother. "That accent… Are you Texan?" the older woman asked, as they got comfortable on the couch and Jemma smiled. "Born and raised!" She exclaimed with vigor, sipping politely on the drink she had been offered. "Clark's told me a lot about you… You're just as gorgeous as he's said." Martha told her and Jemma's face turned pink. "He has? And thank you Ma'am…"she replied bashfully looking around the living room. "You really do have a beautiful home, Mrs. Kent." She said and stood, walking to the fireplace and taking a picture of a much younger Clark into her hands. Martha smiled and took the opportunity to look over the young woman properly. She was short, about 5'5 and she had dark brown hair that was tied up in a high pony tail that had then been braided, it reached the middle of her back and Martha silently applauded the girl for being able to grow her hair so long. She also noticed (though more due to the fact Clark had mentioned her weight as a worry before) that she was rather skinny. Her breasts and hips were filled out, and she held the shape of a woman, but everywhere else she seemed too thin. Martha frowned and her heart broke for the girl who had lost her sister, her mother and then truly her sister again. She swept the thoughts from her mind as a loud ring tone began playing in the mostly silent room and the young woman jumped and fumbled for her phone in her pocket.

"Hello?" She answered and placed the photo frame back on the mantle. "Clark?! Where are you? Are you okay? Thank the lord… Okay. Yes, I'm here now, your mother's with me." She smiled at the older woman who winked back at her. "Ask him if he's coming home." She mock whispered and Jemma nodded.

"She wants to know if you're coming home?" She drawled and nodded to herself, giving Martha the thumbs up. "Yes Honey… No I'm fine. I got here fine, you just get here fine too and I'll be happy. Okay. Yeah, okay. I love you too. See you soon. Bye." Jemma blushed as she hung up the phone and turned back to Martha, a dazzling smile on her face. The two women smiled fondly at each other. Before Martha bristled at her own bad manners.

"Jemma dear, I'm so sorry I forgot to ask! Would you like to stay for a while? Until Clark gets here or until he decided to run off again?" Jemma made to protest, telling the older woman she would stay in town but Martha went mother mode on her and held up a hand. "I will not have you staying in a dingy Smallville motel. You have been with my son for five years now Jemma, you're practically family!" Martha explained, ushering the young woman up the stairs.

"I'll show you where you can stay. I'm afraid the house doesn't have a spare room, but that's okay right. Not like you and Clark haven't slept in the same bed before." Jemma went red at the comment and held up her hands. "Oh! No! Clark and I don't- I mean we haven't… um…" Martha smiled back at her in a sly, motherly way and winked again. "It's okay dear, I'm not shy to the ways of this world. Here." She said, stopping at a door and opening it to reveal a neatly cleaned, but very lived in room. Jemma walked forwards into the bedroom, taking in the place. Posters of baseballers and footballers adorned the walls and on the dresser where some photographs of Clark as a teenager with a two other people showing up repeatedly in the images. Jemma smiled, her earlier embarrassment gone. "This is Clark's room?" She asked softly and Martha nodded, leaning against the doorframe. "It's hard to think he's all grown up now…" She trailed off staring at the inside of the room herself. Jemma laughed as she spotted his aquarium blanket and pillow set with an old beaten brown bear sitting on the pillow. "Its hard to imagine he was ever a child." She spoke quietly and turned back to Martha with a cheeky grin. "You'll have to show me all the baby photos and tell me all the embarrassing stories!" She said with excitement and Martha's eyes lit up.

"After dinner dear, I'll give you all the blackmail you'll ever need!"

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**A/N: Thanks for reading! Chapter 11! Finally! Tell me what you think?! Love it? Hate it?**

**Thanks again! Love you all! xx 3 R&R**


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